KidCoder: Beginning Web Design

I received the below product free of charge as a part of Mosaic Reviews.

How many of you know HTML and other coding?  If you are like me, you start asking for help when things need to be changed.  I don’t want my children to be as website design/coding illiterate as I am.  When I heard there was a chance to review a program to teach my kids (and maybe their old mom) how to do coding and web design, I jumped up and down.  Actually, I wasn’t the only one because my son is interested in learning, too.  He has giant plans to make his own website.

Unfortunately, due to doctor/therapy appointments for both kids this summer, we haven’t gotten as far in the program as I would have liked.  BUT, I LOVE what I have seen so far!  KidCoder:  Beginning Web Design  is designed to be a semester course with Advanced Web Design following during the second semester.  The advanced course is set to release sometime this Fall.

PRICES:

• KidCoder: Beginning Web Design (Course Only) – $70
• KidCoder: Beginning Web Design (Course & Video) – $85
• KidCoder: Beginning Web Design (Video Only) – $20

You’ll see why I mentioned pricing at this point in just a few moments…  I received the course as an ebook download and links to the video portion of the course.  The way I understand the website, when you actually purchase the course, you will receive a hardcopy book and a DVD of the videos.  First, the book…  My ebook is 234 pages of words that are easy to understand.  This is VERY important to me because I don’t understand very much of the coding behind blogging.  If it is much more that <center></center>, I’m googling or asking someone else.  This is why an instruction book written very simply is very important to me!

Even better than the book is the video!  I’m in love with these videos!  The videos take the simplicity of the book and put it in an audio/visual format that even I can understand.  Now, look at the prices…  Why would you pay $70 for a book and not add another $15 to have what I think is as close to a one-on-one tutor without paying for a tutor?  The person who does the video works at a pace that is slow enough to really process through without being slow and boring.  I personally feel that if a person is going to put the money out for this course, the best way to do it would be to get both the book and video.

I can’t wait to go all the way through this course with my kids.  Will my son get it all?  Probably not.  He is working at a 3rd/4th grade level, and I think that several parts of this course will be over his head.  I think my daughter and I will understand it all, though.  I look forward to going all the way through it, and I think we will repeat it again in a year or two for my son.

The company that puts out KidCoder: Beginning Web Design, Homeschool Programming Inc., also has several other courses.  Most of these courses are aimed at the older teen set.  If you have a child/teen who is interested in gaining programming skills, you should check out Homeschool Programming, Inc.

You can read other reviews of this program or other programs from Homeschool Programming Inc. on Mosaic Reviews.

Disclosure:  I received this program free of charge for the purpose of this review.  I was not required to give a positive review, nor was I compensated in any way.  All opinions are my own.